1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems for supporting one or more display panels. More particularly, the support system provides a means for supporting multiple displays such as flat screen liquid crystal display devices and enables their adjustment so as to maintain the screens in a common visual plane. The invention particularly relates to a modular hub and spoke system which provides easy alignment, greater range of adjustment, and which has, therefore, multiple uses.
2. Background and Prior Art
Computerized workstations can provide very large amounts of information provided that there is adequate display surface area. Banks of cathode ray tube monitors characterize a variety of work stations, including industrial control rooms, television broadcast studios and securities brokerages. The evolution of flat screen liquid crystal displays (LCD) has greatly reduced the size of monitors as well as decreased their weight and heat loading. The improved flexibility available for work station design requires methods for mounting multiple flat screens so that they are equally readable from the same viewing location (i.e. in the same focal plane) and adjustable for different users.
U.S. Patent publication 2002/0011544A1 discloses a quick-release system for replacing failed display monitors. U.S. Patent publication 2001/0045497A1 discloses an adjustable computer work station using multiple arms to raise and lower and adjust the angle of a display screen and a keyboard. U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,672 discloses a multi-jointed and pivoted support system for a flat panel video display. U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,287 discloses an articulated conduit joint involving two arms and a clutched joint to maintain adjusted location.
Systems for mounting multiple LCD panels heretofore have mounted panels on a separate support, have ganged panels on a common support bar or brace or have articulated each panel from a different point on a horizontal or vertical support. The result is that there is either limited range of movement for adjusting each panel or that each panel has a different range of motion.
It is an object of this invention to provide a system for supporting displaying devices, especially flat screen LCD monitors which provides equivalent ranges of motion for each set of screens. It is a further objective of this invention to provide a system for supporting flat screen LCD monitors, which can be aligned to provide substantially equivalent focal points or focal planes. It is a further object of this invention to provide a modular mounting system which is adaptable to multiple screens using a single mounting system and a single mounting point on a desk or other support structure.